Reflections on the National HCH Conference

With one of the highest attendance records in its history, the 2013 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium was a huge success as numerous experts from the housing, allied health, and HCH fields came together to support providers in delivering effective care to vulnerable populations.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share our work with others,” Parminder Bajwa, MD, MBA, DBA, said of her experience in the Leadership pre-conference institute. “I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and learned a lot. I will be using the materials and examples as a reference for our day-to-day improvements.” Dr. Bajwa is the director of medical services for Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, Inc.

Clinicians were not the only ones affected by the camaraderie present at this year’s conference; consumers and advocates were equally excited to be working together for the common cause.

“When I think back to my first National Health Care for the Homeless Conference 10 years ago, I am grateful that I am still able to attend this one-of-a-kind conference and grateful that my family is no longer homeless,” said Amy Grassette, former chair of the National Consumer Advisory Board and current secretary of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s Board of Directors.

Grassette said she is always awed by just how many truly kind people are in this work because they want to help others who are in the midst of homelessness.

“I think it’s important for people to know that,” she said. “Going through homelessness is not easy, but knowing there are good people in the world that want to help really can give you hope.

“I am amazed at how far the consumer movement has grown and continues to grow because of the Council’s commitment to involve consumers in all aspects of its work,” she continued. “I have watched the number of consumers who attend the conference grow from a handful to more than 50 at this year’s conference. That’s truly amazing!”

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This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U30CS09746, a National Training and Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement for $1,625,741, with 0% match from nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.